


epiphany (argent x melissa)

by ForeverMyQueen



Series: Songfics [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Based on a Taylor Swift Song, Chris Argent Tries to be Better, Claudia Stilinski & Melissa McCall Friendship, F/M, Feels, Gerard Argent is a Terrible Father, Melissa McCall is the best, Minor Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Song: epiphany by Taylor Swift, Songfic, pack fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:07:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,066
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26734096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForeverMyQueen/pseuds/ForeverMyQueen
Summary: So I didnt mean to write this.......... And then I looked up and it was there so what the fuck. It's super angsty but I promise there's some not-angst at the end
Relationships: Chris Argent/Melissa McCall, Isaac Lahey/Scott McCall
Series: Songfics [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1871260
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	epiphany (argent x melissa)

**Author's Note:**

> So I didnt mean to write this.......... And then I looked up and it was there so what the fuck. It's super angsty but I promise there's some not-angst at the end

Gerard shook his head at Chris’s aim. “Again.”

Chris raised the gun, trying to stop his hands from shaking. The semi-automatic weapon felt too heavy in his hands. He was barely 16. He didn’t want to be able to take a life.

The next shot hit the target dead-center. Gerard smiled. Chris smiled back, feeling bile rise in his throat. The smile didn’t meet his eyes.

\------------

Chris adjusted Allison’s grip on her bow ever so slightly. “It’s important that you focus on your target. You’re distracted, and it’s messing with your aim.”

Allison nodded, wincing when the string of the bow cut into her fingers. She had forgotten her leather gloves in her locker. 

Chris handed his daughter his own gloves from the pocket of his jacket.

Allison smiled. “Thanks, dad.” His gloves were loose around her hands, and her brow furrowed a little in pain when she loaded her bow again. She was only 13, but Chris wanted to be the one to teach her. Before Gerard could.

“Just power through it.”

_ Keep your helmet, keep your life, son. _

_ Just a flesh wound. Here’s your rifle. _

Chris stood in the stark white halls of Beacon Hills Hospital, on the phone. “Hey, Allison, it’s me. I need you to come to the hospital.” 

His daughter hung up almost immediately, but as she did, he heard the door lock. She would be there soon. Chris peered through the window to where his wife’s body lay. For the millionth time, he cursed Gerard and his stupid anti-werewolf decrees. 

Allison ran into him, skidding a little on the shiny tile. “Where’s Mom?”

Chris shook his head, holding his daughter tightly. “She’s gone.”

Allison screamed, cursed, begged, sobbed. He couldn’t listen to it anymore. He just gripped her tighter. 

She looked up at him with teary eyes. “How?” Her voice broke over the word.

“She was bitten,” he whispered into her ear. “And it was the full moon last night. And-” 

Chris had intended to tell Allison about Gerard’s rules, about his blind hatred, but she cut him off. “I’ll kill him. The Hale. I’ll kill the whole damn pack.” And this time, her voice didn’t break. It was steely and sure and Chris was scared. Not of Allison, he could never be scared of her, but of what she might do for the sake of Gerard’s rules. And what it would do to her.

_ Crawling up the beaches now. _

_ “Sir, I think he’s bleeding out.” _

_ And some things you just can't speak about. _

When Chris drove up to the battleground, he inexplicably knew something was wrong. He ran over to Scott where the boy sat on the ground, and-

Oh, God,  _ no _ . There was blood around her mouth, and her chest was still. Scott sobbed over Allison’s body and for just a second, Chris felt his world shatter.  _ No, not her, please, anything but that _ . And then another one of Scott’s sobs pulled Chris back into reality.

Chris kneeled next to Scott, putting his hand on the wolf’s shoulder. “Breathe, okay. Breathe. I’m calling 911. You tell them you called me first, okay? Get your pack out of here when they leave with her, I’ll take care of it. You just have to tell them you called me first, and then go home.” 

Scott nodded blankly, and Chris made the call. He turned away from the kids as tears threatened to spill over, but he bit his tongue and forced them back. Allison’s friends needed him. The ones she died for. He had to honor that.

_ With you, I serve, with you I fall down. _

_ Watch you breathe in, watch you breathing out. _

____________________________________________________________________________

When the Stilinskis first brought Claudia in, Melissa assumed it was nothing. A routine checkup, or maybe a rough case of the flu. But then she was there again, and again, and when Melissa checked the files, she realized that her best friend was dying. Not only that, but her mind was going, and that was almost more painful than watching her body wither and fail. 

Melissa did her best to support them. She brought over food when she had the time to cook, she invited Stiles over to her home to spend some time as a carefree kid, and she visited Claudia sometimes, after a long night shift when visiting hours were long over. 

The manager of the hospital had asked Melissa to pick up an extra shift once. Another nurse was attending his daughter’s wedding. Melissa had been all for it until she realized that it was Claudia’s floor. As much as she loved her friend, she didn’t trust herself to treat her. Treating friends and family was never a good idea, especially when she came home in the afternoon to see Stiles and Scott curled up on the couch together, Stiles sobbing into her son’s shoulder. 

_ Something med school did not cover: _

_ Someone’s daughter, someone’s mother. _

Melissa was working when Claudia died. The nurse had been at the front desk when she heard Stiles’ heartbroken shout, even from a floor below him.  _ Mom _ . 

Melissa had grabbed another nurse, asked her to take over, and run up the stairs to Claudia’s room. Everything was silent in the hospital room. Stiles’ shoulders shook, and the Sheriff muffled his own cries into his son’s shoulder. 

She had a million things to say. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t say anything, scared to break the tension in the air. What do you say?  _ I’m sorry, you don’t deserve this, she lived a good life, it’s no one’s fault _ . 

When Stiles and the Sheriff left for home, Melissa held the boy in her arms for a long moment. As she stood, she said, “Anything you need, come over. Any time, we’ll figure it out.”

_ Holds your hand through plastic now. _

_ “Doc, I think she’s crashing out.” _

_ And some things you just can’t speak about. _

Melissa yawned, letting her head rest in her hand. She was sitting at the front desk of the emergency room, as she often did. It was exhausting to watch broken people drag themselves through the doors all day and night. Sometimes, as her vision blurred with tiredness, she would imagine Scott or Stiles, lying on a gurney, clothes soaked in blood, and jerk awake, heart racing. 

There was a lull in the ER, so she closed her eyes, pretending she was laying in her bed at home. Home, where everyone was safe. Where Scott and Stiles might be studying in a bedroom, where Isaac and Erica would play video games while Boyd made dinner for their little pack. Their little family. Derek might stumble in, streaks of dry blood on his shirt, and everyone would swarm around him to make sure he was okay. Because in their pack, they took care of each other. Maybe Derek would bring his sister, Cora. From what Melissa had heard about the youngest Hale, she guessed that Erica would get along beautifully with her. 

Maybe Lydia and Jackson would visit, too. They were barely pack at that point, but it was always nice to have them around. 

_ Only twenty minutes to sleep, _

_ But you dream of some epiphany. _

A light rap on the counter woke Melissa from her reverie. Scott and Isaac were smiling at her, holding a brown paper bag. 

“We brought you dinner. We didn’t want it to get cold, sorry for waking you up.” Isaac handed her the paper bag with a grin, his other hand woven through Scott’s.

The boys saw her eyes flick to their hands, and quickly disentangled themselves, looking away from her. 

Melissa offered a small smile. “I don’t mind, I just hoped you would tell me when you started dating again.”

Scott’s face lit up, and he kissed Isaac on the cheek. “I’m dating again.”

“Alright, boys, now go finish your homework and get some sleep. I’ll be home late again.”

The two teenagers left, holding hands much more comfortably, and Melissa allowed herself a moment of joy before returning to her work, eating as she reviewed patient files.

When she got home, Scott was sitting on the couch. She walked straight to him, dropping her purse on the ground, and pulled him into a hug. “I love you.”

  
  


_ Just one single glimpse of relief, _

_ To make some sense of what you’ve seen. _

____________________________________________________________________________

Chris lay in the hospital bed, breathing raggedly. He rasped out several ingredients before his eyes closed, and Melissa ran to find them. She quickly concocted the potion before spreading it over his wounds. They smoked, and Chris screamed, face contorted in pain. Melissa forced a rag between his teeth, muffling the noise. 

Several moments later, the lash marks had faded. Chris panted, trying to catch his breath. Melissa removed the rag and filled a glass of water, carefully pouring it into his mouth. 

Chris coughed weakly. “Thank you.”

“Of course,” Melissa replied. “I’m just glad you’ll be okay.” She leaned down and kissed his forehead gently as he fell asleep.

_ With you, I serve, with you I fall down. _

_ Watch you breathe in, watch you breathing out. _

Melissa was in the hospital. Melissa had been shot by hunters. Melissa was in the hospital. And Chris was a fucking mess. He hadn’t slept since he heard the news. Rather, he had climbed into his car and driven frantically back to Beacon Hills. Melissa was still asleep when he sat in the chair next to her bed, having received permission from one of her friends to stay past visiting hours.

Pain flooded Melissa’s body as she woke up in a hospital bed. What had happened before was hazy; she assumed her house had been shot up by hunters. Scott had asked her for advice, as he often did, and she had told him to fight back. Her chest throbbed over the bullet wound, but she would be okay. She had to be, for her son. For her pack.

“Melissa, thank God.” Chris reached out hesitantly to take her hand. “I was so scared, I thought… and after Victoria and Allison, I couldn't…” he trailed off, a couple of tears running down his face.

“Hey, I’m okay,” she whispered. “What are you doing here?”

“I heard about what happened and I-”

“I do appreciate it, really. But shouldn’t you be off saving the world?” Her lips quirked up into a playful smile.

Chris shook his head. “Not until my world is safe.” He bent down to kiss her before settling back into his seat. “I’ll be here when you wake up. Rest.”

_ With you, I serve, with you I fall down. _

_ Watch you breathe in, watch you breathing out. _

Melissa held Chris’s hand. They stood in the cemetery, staring at the Argent tombs.  _ Victoria Argent; Allison Argent; Kate Argent; Gerard Argent. _ Chris didn’t bother checking the dates. They were carved into his mind already. 

“And then there was one.” Chris laughed, his voice hollow. “I can’t believe…”

Melissa held his hand. “I know.” 

Chris choked down a sob and Melissa held him. They stood there, by the graves, holding each other, for a long time. When the sky began to darken, Melissa led Chris to her car. 

“Let’s go home, okay? The kids will probably be there, and it would do you plenty of good to be around a dozen lively wolves.”

Chris nodded, and they headed back towards their home, towards their family.

\---

Melissa was right; the entire pack had taken up residence in her house. Scott, Isaac, Mason, and Malia sat jammed together on the couch, Isaac on Scott’s lap. Derek, Stiles, Ethan, Jackson, and Lydia sat around the dining table, catching up with each other over a game of poker. Corey, Theo, and Liam were lying in a puppy pile on the living room floor.

Chris and Melissa walked in to scattered greetings and the smell of brownies baking. Chris raised an eyebrow at the mess, but Melissa just laughed. “Don’t worry, I make them clean everything up before they leave.”

They shared a smile and headed up to Melissa’s room, where they changed into pajamas and lay under the covers.

“Good night, Melissa.” Chris kissed her. “I love you.”

She smiled. “‘Night. I love you too.”

_ Only twenty minutes to sleep, _

_ But you dream of some epiphany. _

_ Just one single glimpse of relief, _

_ To make some sense of what you’ve seen. _

  
  
  



End file.
